LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW PROGRAM
Summer 2017in New York City
Fellowship Project Description
ADA and TITLE VII REMEDIES: DO THEY WORK?
Building Repositories for Lawyers, the Courts, and Scholars
Question
What remedies used in disability, race, or sex discrimination cases are successful in eradicating discrimination and hence are the best practices to be followed by organizations, the courts, and employment lawyers?
Nature of the Project
Building the ADACase Repository and fine-tuning search characteristics. Continue expandingand adding new consent decrees to the repository of Title VII Consent Decrees (mostly race and sex discrimination) to address the needs of lawyers, judges, and scholars to determine the remedies most likely to eliminate discrimination and, hence, which should be included in future court decisions and/or consent decrees. We presently have 380consent decrees in the Title VII repository thathave been made available to the public (with over 110,000 downloads). The ADA Case Repository has 275 cases, and, in spite of not having “launched” yet, has had over 5000 downloads.
Nature of the Work
Using a protocol developed by the Labor and Employment Law Program and the ILR Web Team, and reviewed by ADA and Title VII lawyers and scholars, research fellows will work as part of a team of ILR staff and faculty and employment lawyers to develop and add to database repositories of existing consent decrees and court decisions. Work includes researching multiple sources to find additional consent decrees and cases for inclusion, analyzing and categorizing consent decrees and cases, and working with attorneys and scholars to test and revise protocols and instructions. The end result will be a fully functional, expanded repository of consent decrees and court decisions that will be available online as part of the Catherwood Library’s Digital Commons.
We need at least two (2) students. Students work as a team, checking each other’s work before the information is actually entered into the repository to ensure accuracy and consistency for our users.
The Problem
Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 (the Act) outlawed discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, religion, etc. Since the passage of the Act, plaintiff lawyers have relied on both individual and class action law suits to end discrimination. This project focuses on class action law suits in which several plaintiffs represent a class of women or minorities. When these cases are settled or when the defendant has been found guilty of discrimination, remedies include diversity training for managers, special training programs for members of the class to be promoted, employment goals and timetables, special outreach efforts, etc. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these remedies. Similarly, with the passage of the ADA,as amended (ADA), which outlaws discrimination based on disability, this repository focuses on settlements and court decisions.
The ILR Title VII Consent Decree and ADA Cases Repositoriesarethe only central repositories of resources of its kind for lawyers to help them make recommendations for provisions of consent degrees or court orders to remedy discrimination. No central database listing programs that have been used in the past and evaluating their effectiveness exists, which allows for analysis by industry, court, protected class, and/or theory of discrimination.
Special skills or areas of knowledge are required to complete the assignment
Strong writing skills
Research skills, including the ability to search databases and analyze data information
Knowledge of discrimination law (must have taken Labor Law, Labor and Employment Law, or similar law class)
Experience working with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Lexis-Nexis orWestlaw
Benefits to Students
Develop both legal research and literature search skills
Expand analytical skills
Work on project that can be the basis for a senior research thesis (2 previous fellows have used their summer work to develop their honors thesis topics)
Application process
Student should indicate interest by submitting the attached form, a résumé, writing sample, faculty recommendation, and a paragraph explaining the student’s interest in this work. A personal interview is required; this can be completed via telephone.
This is a full-time, paid fellowship basedin NYC, beginning Monday, June 5, 2017. Fellows will be paid $11.00 per hour for a maximum of 290 hours of work.
APPLICATION
ILR Undergraduate Research Fellows Program—2017-2018
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW PROGRAM
Name:
E-Mail Address:
Campus Address:
Campus Telephone:
Current Year at ILR (check 1)SophomoreJunior
Freshman
Professor who will supervise you:Esta R. Bigler, Esq. (NYC)
Project Title:ADA ANDTITLE VII REMEDIES: DO THEY WORK?: Building a Repository for Lawyers, the Courts, and Scholars
Application is for:Summer 2017 Academic Year 2017-2018
Applications should be submitted to Lynn Coffey-Edelman at by Monday, April 10, 2017.